Bulletin Vol. 6 No. 4 Jan–Feb 1970

Speaking at the closing ceremony, presided over by Dr. C.T. Yung, Mr. H . T. Wu, Registrar of the University, exhorted the students to seek relevance of university studies in its true sense. Mr. H. T. Wu's Closing Remarks As the Pre-Employment Workshop of 1969-70 draws to a close we ma y look back and say that by and large, the students who took part have been presented wit h a glimpse of the world outside, particularly the possible roles that they can play in the community of Hong Kong. Such roles have certain requirements, whic h have been described and discussed in groups that include not only students and faculty, but also leading members of the community f r om various walks of life. As the students pause at the end of this three- day exercise, some may wish to be assured that they have been well prepared for these roles. Nearly four years have been spent in a major and a minor field of study, as well as some tool subjects such as Chinese and English. Besides these, time has been spent on some aspect of general education. Are these areas of study and the ground covered in each adequate for the students to meet problems arising from their future roles? A first reaction could be that the courses taken are too abstract and far removed f r om the practical problems that w i ll arise in their chosen careers. Shakespeare and M i l t on are a far cry f r om company reports, and Mediaeval History seems to have nothing to do with the hectic life of a twentieth century metropolis. A t most, these areas of study seem to have only one possible merit, and that is, to provide some mental gymnastics. Otherwise, such areas would have no relevance at all with the future work of the students. It is this very wo rd "relevance" that is fashionable among some students abroad. By relevance, they seem to mean the bearing on issues of the day, such as the war in Vietnam, civil rights, urban problems, participation, etc. I n class, teachers are expected to push aside the set syllabuses, and give informed and intelligent talks on such issues. However, thi s interpretation of relevance seems to be too narrow, for instead of relating one thing to another, it has come to mean substituting one w i th the other. Instead of relating the distilled essence of human experience and wisdom with life to-day, wrong interpreters of "relevance" substitute such essence w i th chunks of life itself. Thus particulars are preferred and generalities thrown overboard; the concrete is examined rather than the abstract, and the temporary is selected rather than the permanent. As universities are places where minds are set to work on the distilled essence of human experience and wisdom and are not a market place for quarrels of the moment, learning by and large is necessarily abstract or detached f r om the encumbrances of particular conditions of a particular place and time. Hence the apparent remoteness of philosophy, history, literature and other disciplines. What then should be done to bridge this remoteness and the future role of the students? The answer is primarily for the students to seek relevance in its true sense by relating the two. Whatever abstract principles of good writing that have been learnt should be applied in the judgment of documents that appear before us daily, whether it be newspaper, magazine, o r letter. The principles of economics learnt f r om a university course ought to be discovered working i n this fast developing city of ours. To do this, a student's general reading should be wide, but to my disappointment, I find it to be quite narrow at times at interviews of scholarship candidates intending t o pursue postgraduate studies overseas. One candidate interested in political science that I interviewed knew little about the Legislative Council and the Ur ban Council. I also gained the impression that little is known about the controversy over the demand for an ombudsman. This casts no reflection on the candidate's university, for what most intelligent students do is to apply what they have learnt to these current issues by reading and thinking about them critically in the light of what they learn f r om their teachers. This is the right way of attaining relevance, and is a highly effective way of preparing oneself for a role in society. Perhaps this has been achieved already either in the University or in the Workshop. If so, let me congratulate you and the future employers, for emerging f r om the portals of The Chinese University are young men and women who not only can think i n the abstract but have coupled this ability with a lively interest in the day-to-day affairs of the world. I should like to take this opportunity to express the University's gratitude to all those who have contributed to the success of the Workshop, particularly members of the community who have joined us in discussions w i t h the students. Y o u have rendered excellent service to our future successors in this society, and have fulfilled an important civic responsibility. Town has come to gown to prepare gown for town. May both continue to play their complementary roles for the further development of this beloved city of ours. — 8 —